Tag Archives: neurotoxins

Answer: Facelifts really do not work to help wrinkles. Facelifts are intended to help with sagging muscles like jowls and neck hanging. Depending on how the surgeon defines “facelift” it can either describe a lift of just the lower face and neck or also to include the sagging cheek and/or brow region.

Even though when you pull your face up with your fingers the wrinkles go away, this type of movement is really not indicative of what a lift can do. I call this the “two-finger rule”, meaning when you lift with two fingers this really does not indicate what a facelift can achieve.

So how do we fix wrinkles? We have to divide the wrinkles into two types: static (not moving, present all the time) and dynamic (wrinkles only appear during movement like during smiling, frowning, etc.) Dynamic wrinkles of the upper face (but rarely of the lower face) are managed with botulinum toxin (e.g., Botox) since neurotoxins block the upper face from moving so that dynamic wrinkles do not appear. Recurrent and steady use of neurotoxins every 3 to 4 months can lead to ongoing diminishment of wrinkling even sometimes to the point that dynamic wrinkles do not appear as deep when the neurotoxin has completely faded away. Also, steady use of neurotoxins can help even diminish static lines if they are not too deep.

With the occurrence over time of static wrinkles, neurotoxins can still help diminish them with steady application, as mentioned above. However, sometimes sun-damaged skin with significant wrinkles may require chemical peels or laser resurfacing to help modify these types of wrinkles. Wrinkles of the lower face are harder to manage a with a neurotoxin.